*****UPDATE: Since I have reached my fundraising goals for the fee portion of program, any further donations made to this page will NOT go to me specifically; however, will be seen as a donation to CFHI. If you are interested in donating other ways or donating medical supplies PLEASE email me at alacourse@gmail.com!! Thanks!!**********
Hello family and friends,
Back in 2004, I was blessed to travel to Capetown, South Africa on Semester at Sea and fell in love with a country bursting with change and possibility. After hearing Archbishop Desmond Tutu speak to a fellow Semester at Sea voyage about "Ubuntu" which is a world which evokes a huge flame within myself. His description of this word changed my thinking forever.
"In our country we’ve got something called ubuntu. When I want to praise you, I say this person has ubuntu. Because in our culture there is no such thing as a solitary individual. We say a person is a person through other persons. That we belong in the bundle of life. And I want you to be all you can be, because that’s the only way I can be all I can be. I need you! I need you to be you so that I can be me." - Archbishop Desmond Tutu
I have been selected to participate in an amazing experience which will allow me to grow as a nurse and a person. During my month off in April, I will be heading to Capetown, South Africa to volunteer with an organization called Child Family Health International. I will be volunteering as a student nurse with other medical and nursing students in various hopsitals around Capetown and focusing on the healthcare challenges that South Africa has faced in a post-apartheid period. This experience will allow me to gain valuable nursing knowledge as being a nurse in a third world country is my goal and dream. I will be able to see how hospitals are helping underserved communities in Capetown and learn the challenges they encounter on a day to day basis. I will be staying with a host family and be working in the hospital for four weeks.
As with most non-profit volunteer experiences, there is a fee involved and being a poor nursing student I am asking for any donations to help make this dream a reality. The program fee is $2,575. This may seem like a large chunk of change; however, this money is used in a very specfic way. A snippet from the CFHI website describes this,
"Well over 50% of the CFHI program fee goes to compensate doctors, homestay families and local CFHI representatives for their work providing the CFHI experience. This important "share" in the profits allows these communities to offer more and better healthcare services. CFHI contributions are meant to be an additional source of support for communities that have limited financial resources or access to healthcare. Therefore, participation in a CFHI program does more than simply provide our students with an educational, global health experience."
In addition to that the fee also pays for:
- Community Health/ Public Health Initiatives
- Aid to local communities
- Medical supplies, community health projects, clinic and staff expenses
- Professional development on-site and for the non-profit organization
You can read more about this at http://www.cfhi.org/web/index.php/xcms/showpage/page/Where_does_the_Money_go
In addition to this fee, I will also be paying for travel expenses such as visas, flights, and vaccinations which will total around $2000.
So family and friends, help me gain my Ubuntu. Any donation helps me go further with dream and experience!
Thank you so much,
Ashley Lacourse